Construction work is hard work and construction workers run the risk of injuries, diseases and fatalities. 

These risks are exacerbated by long working hours, organizational pressures and substance use -– all of which are particularly problematic causes of workplace harms, according to an industry study published earlier this year.

Two B.C. construction organizations recently published studies of substance use that covered two different aspects of the problem: The impact on safety and the economic cost of the issue in the province, estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

The BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) produced Construction Safety and Substance Use: Blueprint for Action in BC. The report was researched and written by scientists at the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction at Simon Fraser University (SFU). 

The authors say the report addresses gaps in our understanding of alcohol and other drug use in B.C.’s construction industry: Most research has been done in the U.S., yielding results that don’t always apply to Canada, and Canadian studies are limited by small sample sizes or a focus on single organizations. 

Operating in consultation with the BCCSA board, the researchers developed an online employee survey and an interview script for 35 “key informants” – safety officers and supervisors, union and management officials, association representatives, insurers and employers from workplaces across B.C.  

A total of 639 individuals responded to the survey.

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